Topic: Microsoft .Net Framework is Vermin.

[chorleydave]

I have been reinstalling Windows XP on an old laptop belonging to a neighbour. Having formatted and reinstalled XP last night, I got up this morning to install the Windows updates.

It started off by installing 129 security patches.  So far so good.  However, after a restart it then wanted to install .NET Framework 4.  Another restart and then it wanted to apply patches for it.  Then it wanted to install .NET 1.1.  Then it wanted a Service Pack for it. Then came .NET 3, .NET 2 etc etc.  This has gone on all day since 11 o clock this morning.  Now it wants Service Pack 1 for .NET 3.5.  It wouldn't be too bad if this .NET crap installed quickly, but it takes longer to install a Service Pack for one flavour of the sh1t than it does to install Windows,

I've had enough.  Updates are turned off and I'll be telling Sarah to leave them off! 

[Simon]

I thought usually it only installed the various .NET Frameworks when an application required it, not automatically.    But I agree, they are a nightmare, and when I had XP, Windows Update kept trying to install the same patches for .NET 2.0, even though they were already installed, and it wouldn't let me uninstall .NET to reinstall it either.  When I switched to Windows 7, though, it didn't install any of them automatically, but two of my older programs needed .NET 1.1, and one needed .NET 4, so both of them are now installed, and seem to be running and updating OK, but I haven't got 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5.

[daveeb]

I've got an old desktop running XP sp3 and ms.net has caused untold problems over the years. I've also turned off updates, and if it wasn't for the fact that there are a few old programs and hardware that will only run off XP i would have already consigned it to the oblivion it richly deserves